Thomas Riker
Thomas Riker was a transporter duplicate of William T. Riker, created by accident; in essence, Tom was Will's twin brother. The original Riker, assigned to [[USS Potemkin|USS Potemkin]], was on the planet Nervala IV in 2361 a transporter malfunction caused one to form on the planet and the original to form on the ship. Geordi La Forge was able to show that the original beamed directly to the ship while atmospheric interference caused the clone to form on the planet. That year, William Riker was supposed to meet his lover, Deanna Troi, on Risa but chose his career over her and did not keep their rendezvous. :Tom Riker's lieutenant uniform was gold, indicating he belonged to the operations division at the time he was stranded. It has not been revealed what post he held aboard the ''Potemkin, but script materials suggested he might have taken over the operations manager position in an unused storyline.'' Thomas Riker's existence was discovered on Nervala IV eight years later when the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]] came to retrieve some scientific research that had been left behind. With the aid of Lieutenant Riker, the Enterprise was able to get the information more quickly and all members of the away team, including Lieutenant Riker, returned to the ship. During the time he spent on the planet, Lt. Riker had remained deeply in love with Deanna and on his return told her that he could not believe he had failed to meet her as planned and that he in fact was hoping their relationship could resume. Initially Deanna was opposed to the idea but found herself won over despite her objections. In the end, however, the passage of time proved too much to overcome and the two realized they could not continue. As a result of this, and conflicts with his twin, and superior officer - by then, Commander William Riker - Lieutenant Riker decided to leave the Enterprise. He chose to use his middle name Thomas, to distinguish himself from William Riker. Captain Picard pulled a few strings and managed to get Thomas a posting on the [[USS Gandhi|USS Gandhi]]. (TNG: "Second Chances") In 2370, Thomas Riker expressed dismay at the Federation's policies towards the Cardassians and the Federation colonies in the Demilitarized Zone, and he later joined with the Maquis to fight them. In early 2371, Thomas Riker came aboard Deep Space 9 under the identity of Will Riker, and when on a visit to the newly commissioned [[USS Defiant (NX-74205)|USS Defiant]], he stole the ship from the station. Riker, with Major Kira as his unwilling passenger, headed for the Orias system, deep in Cardassian space, where the Maquis had learned that the Cardassians were building a fleet of warships. Trying to track him down with the assistance of Commander Sisko, Gul Dukat swore that he knew nothing of this fleet. He was telling the truth, as the fleet had been constructed by the Obsidian Order in direct violation of Cardassian law. As the Defiant arrived at Orias, it was intercepted by a number of Cardassian warships. Sisko negotiated a compromise with Dukat. Riker surrendered the Defiant to the ships loyal to Dukat, not those from Orias, and in exchange for his sensor scans of the Orias base, his sentence would be reduced to life imprisonment in a labor camp, while the rest of his crew would be returned to the Federation. Kira promised to return for him one day, but it is not clear whether or not she ever did. (DS9: "Defiant") :It is unclear what became of Riker following these events, or whether Kira was able to keep her promise to free him. It is possible that he was involved in the Dominion War, but it is just as likely that he was killed along with other members of the Maquis while imprisoned. The fate of Thomas Riker remains one of the most lingering mysteries in ''Star Trek lore, much to the chagrin of many fans.'' :In an interview with Johnathan Frakes in the 6th Season TNG Box set, he states that Ronald D. Moore had approached him regarding a Thomas Riker episode that involved Damar's rebellion, in the last few seasons of DS9. This idea was not brought to fruition by the conclusion of DS9. Apocrypha In the non-canon game Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars, a Federation Alliance mission involves rescuing Thomas from a Cardassian convoy, after which point he is avaible as a commander for your ships. A Dominion Alliance mission in the same game requires the player to destroy the Galaxy class starship he is commanding. In the novel "Quarantine", Tom Riker ended up transferring to the sciences division after a conflict with the USS Gandhi first officer. He wore a blue uniform and served as a medical courier pilot. It was in this function that he ended up leaving Starfleet behind, falling in with Chakotay and B'Elanna Torres' Maquis cell. According to Quarantine, it was Chakotay's idea to try to steal the Defiant from Deep Space 9. In Peter David's book "Triangle: Imzadi II", he is freed by Romulans from the Cardassian prison camp where he is being held and forced into an assassination attempt on Klingon Chancellor Gowron and Emperor Kahless. de:Thomas Riker Riker, Thomas Riker, Thomas Riker, Thomas